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Lots of heart-conscious consumers and waist-watchers have recently rehabbed their steak knives, having found that--hang onto your knife sharpener--eating a little red meat doesn't necessarily put you on the fast track to Fat Central. It's not the meat; it's the aging, artery-clogging, cholesterol-soaring, saturated fat in meat that you want to minimize. Here's how:
1. When you're meat shopping, choose USDA Select grade cuts; they have less fat than Choice and Prime.
2. Choose packages labeled "lean" or "extra lean" whenever possible. Lean means the meat has fewer than 8.5 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving; extra lean, fewer than 4.
3. Try to buy meat labeled "grass-fed" or "pasture-raised." It may have 25% to 50% less fat, fewer calories, and more heart-healthy omega-3s than regular grain-fed meat. (It also suggests the animal was raised humanely.)
4. Trim external fat before cooking and use that well-sharpened knife to remove any that's still there once it's on your plate. You can slash fat intake by as much as half this way.
5. Broil, grill, or roast meat on grills or pans that drain away fat.
6. Blot meatballs and burgers with paper towels after cooking to remove both grease and calories.
7. Minimize meat-centric meals. RealAge recommends no more than one serving of red meat a week. (One serving, says the USDA, is the size of a deck of cards, or about 3 ounces.)
How big is the payoff when you lose the fat but keep the meat? How would you like to see fewer candles on your birthday cake next year?!? Eating a low-fat diet--and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat--can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.
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